US prosecutors charge arsonist in Consulate attack

Updated: 2014-01-07 05:42

By CHEN JIA in San Francisco (chinadaily.com.cn)

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US prosecutors charge arsonist in Consulate attack

David J. Johnson, Special Agent in Charge of FBI in San Francisco. [Photo by Chen Jia/China Daily]

Feng Yan, 39, an American citizen, has been charged with arson in connection with last Wednesday's attack on the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. Feng surrendered himself to local police by calling 911 on Friday afternoon in San Francisco, two days after the Chinese consulate was damaged by smoke and fire.

Security video cameras recorded Feng carrying two cans of gasoline from a parked van, dousing the consulate gate and setting it on fire. A small group of consulate staff was in the building at the time but no one was injured in the incident. An FBI spokesman said the incident was being treated as a crime and not as an act of terrorism. The FBI said they had no motive for the attack and Feng had no known associations with any organizations. There did not appear to be any connection with an arson attack on the consulate in 2008.

Feng has been transferred to Federal custody.

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